History

PACSI was launched after a debate on campus following the first Gulf War in March 1991, between Professors Noam Chomsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Scott Thompson (Fletcher School, Tufts University). In 1991-2 we were called the Conflict and Peace Studies Institute, changing to our current name of the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute soon thereafter.

Some of the events we have organized are:

• Over 100 lectures and discussions
• More than 15 participatory events on conflict resolution, social justice, and ideological/religious dialogue
• A conference on economic conversion, 1993
• Days Without Violence, every year since 1996. Many events at these days have been held in collaboration with Middlesex Community College. Our Peace Banner, with hundreds of signatures and messages, has been displayed at many locations on and off-campus. On several of these days we organized events for local teens in partnership with youth agencies.
  

We have received financial support from the Council on Diversity and Pluralism, and Public Service Endowment Grants.

UMass Lowell Partners
We work closely with the Council on Diversity and Pluralism and are grateful for financial support from them over the years.

Another valued partner is the Multi Faith Council at the University, one of whose co-chairs is PACSI co-director Rev. Imogene Stulken, 978-934-5014.